Still Human
by MarisolM
Summary: Aang discovers what his last obstacle must be, in order to put an end to the war for good. -- Based off of the Finale scene with the Baby Ozai portrait. Oneshot!


**Note: this was something I did for a "writing audition" for an alternate Avatar Finale (one that supported Zutara). ) The assignment was to take a scene from the Finale and expand it... not necessarily for Zutara, but to make it better. _This _scene was really well-written, but I personally thought it was just missing some closure. I mean, it's the last scene that shows the whole Gaang together before the very end. I figured some things needed to be said before Aang went off into the unknown.**

* * *

Katara unrolled the scroll happily, revealing a water-colored portrait of a baby boy laughing playfully on the beach.

"Look at baby Zuko!" Katara cooed. "Isn't he cuuuute?"

A few giggles ensued, mostly by Katara and Suki as they glanced at the adorable portrait. 1But Zuko cringed at the "aw"s and laughter, despite knowing that Katara had meant well. That portrait had every right to be rolled-up and hidden up in the dark, lonely attic... as it marked a certain past that Zuko preferred not to understand.

Not with everything that supposedly 'cute' infant had put him through.

"That's not me." Zuko declared, keeping himself from frowning as he spoke, even as he looked up to finally acknowledge the portrait. "That's my father."

The giggling faded as everyone turned, speechless, Sokka looking like he forgot how to chew.

"But... but he looks so sweet, and innocent!" Suki spoke up, attempting to lighten up the mood that had seemed to dim in a matter of milliseconds. Katara slowly began to roll up the portrait again with her hands.

"Well, that kid grew up to be a monster," the young prince retorted, looking back down at his rice bowl. "Not to mention the worst father in history."

"...but he's still a human being," came the familiar voice of the boy sitting melancholically away from them.

A few pairs of eyes blinked, and they all turned to the kid whose shoulders looked all the more slumped with thoughts and reflection from that entire day of training. Aang's voice had distilled a certain sadness that only Katara was able to note, and she gazed over at him, concerned.

Zuko, however, raised his good brow confusingly at Aang. "You're _defending him?_"

"No, I agree with you," Aang turned his head meet the torn prince's eyes, finally getting up to be with the group again. "Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him."

"So what's the problem?" Sokka had finally swallowed his rice, staring at Aang with a stern pair of blue eyes. It wasn't like he'd forgotten about the kid's failed attempt at taking down the Melon Lord so easily.

"I don't know…" His silver eyes narrowed uncomfortably back to Sokka, folding his arms like he was suddenly getting cold from the open air-toga. "I just can't help but think he was once just a regular kid. Like _all _of us, you know? I don't think it's right to _take his life _like that."

Katara blinked, exchanging odd glances with Sokka – whose face was turning more and more upset. She clutched the rolled-up scroll in her hands, feeling her voice tremble and sigh as she finally decided to speak up to the airbender.

"But Aang, _this _is what we've been training you for. You knew this day was going to come."

Aang groaned, already feeling like it'd been a mistake to bring those thoughts up, and there was no other choice but to keep going.

"I know, Katara, _I know _that. But..." the boy struggled to meet her eyes, hoping she could understand. Flustered, he started to pace with his aching feet. _"..._this goes against _everything _I learned from the monks. I can't just start _wiping out people I don't like!_"

"Well, I hate to break it to you," Sokka muttered, holding his rice bowl patiently, "but that's probably why the monks got wiped out in the first place."

Aang blinked, holding his breath for a second, if taking in the harsh sarcasm that was thrown at him. He turned dangerously back towards Sokka, his silver eyes holding a glimmer of tears.

"_THIS ISN'T A JOKE, SOKKA!"_

The young water tribesman locked his stern eyes to the young boy, while everyone else in that vast courtyard did not dare to say anything. Slowly, Sokka composed himself again, and spoke up to the flustered, enraged young boy in front of them all.

"Aang, _listen_ to me. The Fire Lord is a ruthless killing machine – right, Zuko?" Sokka shifted to his left for a second, where Zuko crossed his arms for a 'yes.' "So I'm _sure_ the Spirit World will forgive you if--."

"Sokka, you don't get it!" Aang shook his head, trying to find another face in the group who could empathize with him. The only face he saw comfort in was Katara's. "I feel like I'm abandoning my own _culture_ by doing this."

Toph threw a grain of rice over to Aang's general direction, hitting the boy's frame and making herself known at the very right of the stairs.

"What were you planning to do, Twinkle Toes? _Talk to him?_"

Aang sighed, looking elsewhere as if trying to find the answer along the stone bricks of the walls, "Maybe there's a way I could reason with him... or ask him nicely to stop invading the Earth Kingdom?"

It was Zuko who grimaced then, covering his eyes in disarray while Sokka just shook his head to the ground. Katara could only breathe, sadly, finding the same expression in Suki's face as she held onto Sokka's sanity.

"Right..." Zuko started in his raspy voice, "Or you can even take his Fire-Bending away."

Aang flinched, turning immediately from the walls to glance towards the dark prince.

"Really?" Aang pressed hopefully. "You think there's a way I could--"

"_NO._"

It wasn't just Aang, but Katara and Suki also recoiled at Zuko's harsh, inevitable answer. But he didn't stop there.

"I said this to you before." Slowly, the prince unfolded his arms and approached the boy sternly, expecting him to grasp every syllable he said. "You _have_ to kill the Fire Lord, and if you don't build up the courage, now... he'll finish you off, first. And then we'll _all_ be done for."

One of Zuko's hands reached out to grasp Aang firmly by the shoulder, but the boy backed away, overwhelmed. Frightened, by the reality that Zuko was pressing to him.

Katara winced at Aang's nervous features, and she couldn't bear to stay quiet any longer.

"Zuko, don't say it to him like that." She stepped forward in her gentle voice, moving to be at level with him. "I mean there _might _be another way."

That was when Sokka growled.

"_Ugh_... Katara, we_ really _don't need the sugary optimism right now." He was beginning to massage his temples with his hands, and Suki kept herself close to him sadly.

"I'm just trying to see his side, Sokka!" Katara threw back the angry words at her brother, turning around to face his frustrated glance.

"No, _you're trying to protect him. Again._" His hands fell from his temples, and the crease between his eyebrows grew larger as he glared at his sister."This is serious! If he doesn't get it into his head now, he's gonna _ruin everything!_"

"Sokka, we're asking him to be ready to kill the Fire Lord in less than _two days._" Katara dismissed her brother's comments like the cool breeze passing by, and she crossed her arms. "That wasn't part of the plan."

Zuko blinked, feeling his stomach fall heavy with guilt all of a sudden.

"We'll be there to help, Katara," came the young prince's attempt to ease her anger, "but he needs to make the final move. Not us."

Her frown turned to Zuko in response. "This could be a lot of pressure for him!"

"Katara, he's ready." Sokka's hands became fists as he stared angrily to the ground. "He's _been _ready for a long time. _You said so yourself!_"

And after a small pause, the young water tribesman lifted his head and exchanged a tired, overwhelmed... ultimately _frustrated_ look as he spoke once again to his sister.

"I know that you care about him, okay? But he's _NOT your responsibility anymore! _He knows what he has to do."

Katara was still frowning at him, with her arms crossed... but the vivid blue of her eyes was slowly glimmering by a certain rationality...the truthfulness behind her brother's words. She wasn't sure if it was Sokka, or if it was the wind that was ultimately making her skin sprout goosebumps... but nevertheless... her feelings were stuck. She couldn't argue anymore.

It was like the next few moments passed like ghosts within the group... so quietly, that Katara could feel herself breathe, still keeping her glimmering eyes at her brother. She felt the warmth of Zuko as he stood by her side, and their heads fell to the ground, as if wanting to ignore the bitterness that was still present in the air after such a fight.

And only Toph was able to speak up.

"Uh... guys?"

A few eyes blinked and they all turned to the little earthbender, watching as her finger pointed empathetically to a certain direction. And Katara's eyes rose in reaction.

There he was... still in the vast courtyard, staring over at his friends in a saddened, speechless manner. His hands were hanging limply at his side, but his silver eyes remained to them... believing that somewhere in his system was the brave wisdom of a thousand Avatars before him.

He couldn't understand how invisible he'd become, over a mere argument between the two people he had grown to love more than anyone else in his journey. They'd talked about him like he was their son... like a child who was refusing to grow up too fast. Or not fast enough.

But he knew they didn't mean it.

As heart-broken as it felt, hearing Sokka and Katara argue like buzzard-wasps over his own job, Aang's eyes did not shed a tear. He just stared at them, at the siblings who'd willingly chosen to entwine their destinies with a child's. And then he stared at Zuko... at Toph... and at Suki... like in a matter of moments, they'd all turned into complete strangers.

And in the next moment… as Aang felt himself breathe… it was like he'd known them forever.

Perhaps _that _was enough to kill the Fire Lord. Perhaps knowing that doing so would relieve each and every one of them from feeling any more hatred, and pain, and misery of war.

Aang blinked in the sadness from their eyes, and tightened his stomach to speak.

"I... I'm gonna go meditate... for a bit..."

As he felt the heaviness of his feet make him take one small step after another, Aang felt the presence of them even stronger, quietly watching him take his leave. He even felt Katara's concerned eyes follow him subconsciously... like the mother she would always be for him, among many things.

And he felt the slight ache in his heart when he heard Zuko's voice take existence once again, placing a soft hand on Katara's shoulder at the same time.

"_Let him go. He needs to sort this out on his own."_

But as much as it did hurt... Zuko was right. He couldn't ask for her help anymore, or anyone else's. This was his final obstacle in the journey: giving up his life-long devotion and principles in order to save the people he loved. They had sacrificed so much for him – for the Avatar -- and even with all of that strife, he frowned at how his attitude suddenly had recoiled into a selfish little boy's.

He owed them much more than that.

And so the boy breathed, calmly into the night… meditating... accepting what a hundred years of absence had left him to be.


End file.
